Screen.



R. A. STEPS.

SCREW.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1I. 19m.

" xlatqnted Dev. 12, 19145.

lid ttllhi lllldt i enrich.

ROBERT A. STEPS, OF LOS ANG-ELES, CALIFORNIA.

SCREEN.

Application filed April 11, 1916.

To all whom it may com-cm a Be it known that 1, ROBERT A. S'ricrs, a

citizen of the United States of America, re

' opposite the )etroleum or water strata, for

holding back the sands and letting the fluids through. Wells of this character are constructed of heavy pipe, in lengths, a

sufiicient number of such lengths being screwed together to reach from the surface of the ground to the bottom of the well.

The portion of the pipe that is set in the producing strata, is perforated so as to form a screen for letting the fluids in.

One of the objects of this invention is to increase the capacity or productivity of such screens, and particularly of the socalled integral screens, that is screens having neither wire, buttons, nor other removable parts, but having the straining apertures formed integrally in the body of the pipe. And I accomplish this chiefly by forming lateral. feeders in the outer surface of the body of the pipe adjacent and tributary to the longitudinal main straining apertures so thatthc surface of the pipe in this vicinity is like a grate holdin the sands ofi from the body of the pipe so that undercurrents of oil may flow in the space below the sands and in the feeders laterally of the pipe in the vicinity of the longituditoward the main apertures, through which the oil enters the well. The oil is then pumped to the surface by suitable pumps inserted in the well.

The drawings illustrate what i consider the best form; of the invention.

Figure 1 illustrates in section, a piece of pipe with suitable main apertures therein. No effort made to show the lateral feeders in this figure. For convenience, however, the roller for arching the apertures is shown diagrammatically from the front and side. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration, from the side and front, of a convenient tool for forming the lateral feeders. Fig. 3 is a highly magnified. ricw showing the surface Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1L2, i916.

Serial No. 90,423.

nal main apertures after the lateral feeders have beenv formed therein. This represents a small fragment of the finished screen. Fig. -'l is a longitudinal section taken midway through the slit looking in the direction of the arrows -n:".r". Some-of the sand is shown in this figure so as to indicate'the grate-like action of the lateral feeders. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing a portion of a length of pipe finished into screen in accordance with my invention.

Referring to .l ig. 1, the pipe 1 is ,shown as equipped with longitudinal apertures 2, which 1 term main apertures, because they are the main channels penetrating the walls of the pipe and letting the ,oils or water through from the sands. These apertures may of course be of any suitable form and shape but I prefer that they should be elongated, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and of arched construction as in Fig. l, the slit being narrower on the outside than on the inside, and I consider elongated apertures, of any form, specially advantageous.

The apertures 2, Fig. 1, are produced by my special method, forming the basis of a separate application filed April 1'1, 1916, Serial Number 90,422. They are first formed of uniform width throughout, and are then arched over by displacing the outside adjacent metal inward. For this latter purpose I use some suitable tool, such as the roller 3, Fig. l, and by applying pressure to this roller, and rolling it back and forth along the length of the slit, the apertures become arched as shown, and the side ducts 4, Figs. 1, 3, and 5, paralleling the main aperture, are formed at the same time. The n ay in which these ducts participate in the general function of the screen will beillustrated later on.

Referring now to the lateral feeders, these can be best understood from Figs. and 4:,

from which it will be observed that these feeders consist chiefly of the depressipns 5 formed in the outer surface 'of the pipe adjacent the main'apertures 2. In my judg ment it is sufficient for these feeders to extend only a short distance, say three quarters of an inch, or one inch, on either side of the slits 2, because beyond this point their influence and efficiency seem ta drop 'onlyin the locality of off. However, if desired, these feeders or depressions may be' extended much farther, andmay even encirclethe, entire pipe. I content myself however, by forming them the aperture 2 to which .they are tributary, see Figs. 3 and 5, and for producing them in this form I use a suitable nurling' tool 6, Fig. 2-. This tool, like the roller 3, is of course made of hardened tool steel, and as indicated, is equipped intothe surface of metals:

vuseof a cold chisel, or b Y -with sharp teeth 7 around its entire periphery. By rolling such a tool back and forth, under pressure, and over the slit or aperture 2, the depressions or feeders 5, Fig. 3, are of course formed, the process being that ofthe well known nurling of such contours Of course the feeders can be formed in other ways, as by a properly formed die covering the entire knurled area shown in Fig. 3,'in which case all the feeders may "commercial basis.

pack onto the surface of the pipe, and will cover the space at the slit, the particles of gravel resting firmly, on the edges of the latter. Therefore, if theside "feeders are absent, the oils-can enter the slit only through the voids remaining between the particles of gravel and the edges of the slit,

and probably the oil approaches the slit,

chiefly by percolating toward it from the front- In all likelihood however, there is little side or lateral flow toward the slit,v i. e. in the absence of side feeders, -and it is. by effectively opening up these lateral the pipe.

currents that the screen herein disclosed at.- tains its superiority. p

As shown in Fig. l the V shaped depressions 5 hold the sands 5 off the body of .These sands, being comparatively coarse, cannot squeeze into the'base 5 of the depressions, so that a more or less unobstructed channel is formed by the base orroot 5"of the feeders through which the oil may flow laterally'toward and into the slit The ducts 4 also help by forming reservoirs, so to speak, in the vicinity of the the extreme upper and lower feeders 8, beyond the ends ofshts 2, site the slits to where the Oil can gain ready slits, so as to especially soak the sands at the slit, and in addition, since these'ducts also extend beyond the ends of the slits, see Fig. 3, they serve to conduct the oil from down to and. oppoentrance. In this way the sands are drained much more thoroughly. in view of the assistance given by the side flows. The tendency of these side flows is to eumulate their effect with that of the front flow, and of not reduce or minimize the front flows, but

both goon independent of each other, and the producing capacity of the screen is increased just that much. Also, as indicated in Fig. 3, pressing the feeders 5 intothe body of the metal, produces a beaded effect 9 along the edge of the slit. If deemed advisable these beads may of course be removed by the insertion of a cleaning tool. but I consider the beaded edge 'advantageous and consider its removal as detrimental to the best interests of the screen.' The effect of the heading is as follows: he crest of the beads holds out the finer sands, so that a narrow mesh screen is virtually produced, whereas, in View of the bulges in the heads, the increased capacity of a wider mesh screen is obtained, and therefore, to a greater or less degree, there is coupled in one and the" same slit the-strain ing advantages of a fine slit, with the higher capacity features ofa coarser slit. The advantage from this source isfof course obvious. Also, it *will beundcrstood that the lateral feeders need not extend out exactly shown in the row of slits marked 10, Fig. 5, these feeders may extend at various inclinations, and two or more sets of crossed feeders may even be impressed over each other as at 11, in which event the metal will be so ('hafed that the lateral feeders will have no single well defined course but may be traced projections left in themetal. Also, as previously indicated in theforegoing description, the troughs or reservoirs 4, Fig. 1. either on one side or on both sides of the apertures, especially in connection with the inward flare of the material between the troughs and the edges of the apertures, are

a great advantage because the DIOIIOIUICtRl inwardly' flaring lips thus formed at the outside edge of the slits, see Fig. 1, being relieved, so to speak, on all sides, tend to dig out vigorously into the sands and' are the better able, on this account, to get the oil or water which theyare seeking, and in view of the adjacent parallel troughs helping to hold the sands loosely off the pipe at that point and forming reservoirs or. basins for the collection of pools of oil there, the production orflow of oil into slits of this genaround many courses around theat right angles to the main apertures 2. As

anew/eon oral configuration is especially ellicient and constitutes an important feature of the inlateral feeders are added or not. Also, in.

my screen, it will be apparent that the apertures and troughs are unobstructeifl outwardly so that the well sands can lie directly upon and feed directly into the apertures. in other words my apertures are the main screening apertures, and are not merely supplementary apertmes through the pipe with a. covering of wires or huttons or other ll'lGl'HllEZZ'S through which the real screening is done. lily construction therefore couples simplicity and directness with elliciency, without sacrificing any dov sirable feature. Also, I count it an advantage with my screen that it is substantially smooth both inside and outside by which I mean that all features are reasonably within the ordinary cylindrical surfaces of the pipe. As compared with other common serrated or punched pipe, it will be noted that the plain surface of the pipe on one side of my slit is substantially a continuation of the plain surface of the pipe on the other side of the slit, which is not the case in serrated pipe where theprinciple of uuuiufacturing is such that the metal on one side of the slit punched in or out past the metal on the other side oi the slit. in this case it sann in said that the plain surface on one side substantially a continuation of the plain surface of the metal on the other side of the slit, because just the reverse is true, and in this respect ll deem my arrangement very advantageous because the serrations in perforated pipe stick out like spears or saw teeth and either bite into the sands so asto prevent shoving or pulling the screen into place, it the serrations are driven to the outside, or else, it driven toward the inside, they interfere with finishing tools, bailing; tools, and other devices that must frequently be lowered into the well for cleaning it.

I claim:

1. A well screen for working-in oil or water well sands, consisting of pipe the walls of which are equi 'iped with elongated apertures extending tl'lerethrough so that fluids can pass tl'irough said apertures from the outside to the inside of said pipe, and diau'essions framed in the outside surlare of the body at the pipe and extending away late-rally from said apertures so as to form feeders for conducting under-currents along said pipe to aid said aperturi-is, the apertures being unobstrilcted outwardly so that the well sands can he directly upon and feed directly into the said apertures, and the plain surface of the metal on one side oi? the apertures being substantially a continuation oi the. plain surface oi the metal on the other side of the apertures.

i. A well screen tor working; in oil or water well sands, consisting of pipe the walls of which are equipped with elongated apertures extending thercthrough so that fluids can pass through said apertures from the outsidetothe'inside of said pipe, and. depressions formed in the outside surface of the hotly of the pipe and extending away laterally from both sides of said apertures so as to form feeders for conducting undercurrents along said. pipe toward said apertures, the apertures being; unobstructed outwardly so that the well sands can lie directly upon and. feed directly into the said apertures, and the plain surface of the metal on the one side of the apertures being; sulr stantially a continuation of the plain surface of the metal. on. the other side of the apertures.

ii. A. well screen for worlcinq in oil or water well. sands, consisting or pipe the walls of which are equipped with elongated apertures extending therethrough so that fluids can pass from the outside of the pipe to the inside, said apertures being narrower toward the outside of the pipe than toward the inside, and lateral feeders formed in the hutsidesurface of the body of the pipe and e'irtending away laterally a limited distance from. said apertures for producing lateral under rents along the pipe toward the apertures said apertures being iuiobstructed outwardly so that the well sands can lie directly upon and feed directly into the apertures, and'the plain surfaceof the metal on one side of the apertures being, substantially a continuation of the plain surface of the metal on the other side of the apertures,

4-. A. well screen for working in oil or water well sands, consisting of pipe, the rolls of which are equipped with elongated apertures extending therethrough so that fluids can pass through said apertures from. the outside to the inside oi the pipe,- and reservoirs or troughs beside the apertures-i and parallel. thereto, eachtrough comprising; a. depression. in the outside surlace of the pipe alongside an edge 01? the aperture and parallel thereto, the relatively small amount oi material between the trough and the adjacent edge of the aperture being flared inward toward the aperture so as to i: he the aperture narrower no: r the outside of the pipe than near the inside of the pipe, said apertures and troughs being unobstructthe ed ontwardly so thatv the well sands can lie directly upon and feed directly into the said apertures, and the pla n surface of the pipe on one side of the aperture being suhstan tlally a, continuation of the plain surface of the pipe on the other side of the aperture.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 4 In the presence of ROBERT T. WILLIAMS, J. H. Dnoms. 

